Making a Kettle Helm

I started by designing a pattern.  I used an old WWII British Army Helmet for insperation to get the rough dimentions and shape.  I then cut, dished and planished the four plates that would form the upper section of the helm.

Next I made the 3 bands that hold the upper sections together.  There are two small bands that attach the front and back parts together, and finally a third band that attches the two sides together.  At this stage I use small bolts to hold everything in place.  I also used duct-tape for this purpose.

The next step was making the brim.  This took a lot of trial and error to get the right curve on the inside edge so that everything would line up.  The two parts where shaped and attached with small strips on either side.  I then flared the inside edge upwards to provide a surface to attach the brim to the upper bowl section.  Lastly I rolled the outside edge inward for added strength.  The brim was by far the hardest part of the whole project.

Next I took all the parts apart (up to this point they hand been held together with bolts), and polished everything to what I call a "munitions" finish.  I then did the final assembly using 1/8 rivets, and attached a leather liner and chin-strap.  Overall I'm pretty happy with the end result.  Next time I will make the bowl a little deeper so that its ends up fitting more securily on top of your  head.  I might also change the look of the bands.

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